Christmas According to Dickens

markdroberts.com ^ | 12/28/2004 | The Rev Dr. Mark D. Roberts

[sionnsar]

[The Rev. Roberts finished his series on "Christmas Carol Surprises", posted here earlier, part way through as it turns out, and appears now to have completed a new series of postings titled The Man Who Invented Christmas , A Christmas Carol on the Drawing Board , and Why Did Ebenezer Scrooge Change?. I recommend reading it at the source. --sionnsar]

[sionnsar]

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[AnAmericanMother]

Thanks for the great link!

I agree with the author that Dickens was deistic rather than specifically Christian - the references to Christmas in the Carol are almost throwaways or afterthoughts - but I also agree with the idea of prevenient grace as the mechanism by which Scrooge begins to change.

In my opinion, Scrooge resists change because he believes he is "too old to change", and only the alternating joy and fear and regret brought by the Three Spirits can break through that crust of habit and fear of change. Alastair Sim conveys this the best, I think.